Neo-Assyrian Empire

The Neo-Assyrian Empire was a Mesopotamian empire which existed from 911 to 609 BC, becoming the largest empire in the world until that time. It succeeded the Middle Assyrian Empire, and Akkadian and Aramaic were the empire's official languages. The empire came to dominate the Levant, east Mediterranean, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, eclipsing and conquering rivals such as Babylonia, Elam, Persia, Urartu, Lydia, the Medes, Phrygians, Cimmerians, Israel, Judah, Phoenicia, Chaldea, Canaan, the Kushite Empire, the Arabs, and Egypt. Following the death of Ashurbanipal in 627 BC, the empire began to disintegrate during a series of civil wars, and Cyaxares of the Medes and Nabopolassar of the Babylonians formed an alliance against the Assyrians. In 609 BC, an Assyrian-Egyptian army was defeated at Harran, and the Babylonians and Medes conquered Assyria. The Median Empire and Neo-Babylonian Empire followed the collapse of the Neo-Assyrians.